The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-23
RICH IN GOLD.
The Old San Saba Mines in Burnet
County L ocated-Valued
at 100000.
Work to be Commenced At Once.
Community In High
Excitement

Burnett and Lleno counties are wild
with excitement over the discovery of
valuable deposits of gold and silver re-
Gently found there. For several weeks
there has been a considerable influx of
prospectors and spectators, and rumors
of every description have been rife. These
have now so, so far as Burnett county is
concerned, settled down TO positiveness
that gives no room for doubt Gold is
there, and there in large quantities. The
people are in perfect fever of excite
ment the recent developments being the
talk of every one. To particularize,
then, it seems that in the Hoover valley
fifteen miles from the town of Burnett,
| and in the same county, are situated what
are known as the old San Saba mines.
These were operated long years ago by
both the Spanish and Mexican govern
ments, but have for many decades been
lost sight of. Now, it seems that Mr.
Archibald Fitzgerald, mining expert of
forty five years. experience, and who has
been for the past five years engaged with
the San Jose mines, in the state of
Tamaulipas, Mexico, has devoted a great
| part of his time to searching through the
records of the Spanish and Mexican gov
ernments, and was so successful in his
search that he was able to locate the po-
sition of the San Saba mines to
foot. On Wednesday last he ar
rived in Burnett, and was from there
driven fifteen miles to Hoover's valley, and
within a quarter of an hour after his ar
rival was on the exact spot he was looking
for, and has been looking for altogether
eight years, having devoted three years to
the study of the Spanish government rec
ords before his association with the San
Jose mines.
$4,000 PAID DOWN.
| Mr.. Fitzgerald did not say much about
his business there, and his silence was
golden. He merely offered $4,000 cash
down to the owner or owners of Hoover's
valley. The offer was accepted and the
money paid. No intimation, however, of
the full meaning of this transaction
got abroad until the parties went to the
court house to have the deed of sale re-
corded. Then the news spread like wild
fire, and the whole country was soon
aflame with excitement. Mr.. Fitzgerald
is now 70 years of age, and has no supe-
rior as a mining expert. Thirty eight
years ago he located the "Ductown'
= mines of northern Georgia. His acute
instinct in searching for mineral deposits
is the result of As years devoted to thai
business, and it has never failed him
, The present "fnd" has many times beer
looked over by prospectors and seeming
r experts, but they, in each anc
a every instance, examiner on.y
r the quartz deposits. Mr.. Fitzgerald
, came forearmed with the knowledge Job
tanned from the records) that the gold ant
silver are to be found in the iron ore de
, pesits, and not among the quartz. These
he found, and the specimens he has hat
assayed show yield of $24O worth OF
. gold to the ton, exclusive of the sllve
and iron. Mr.. Fitzgerald was seen Thurs
q day evening by a reporter of III
y STArErEAN, and these facts obtained di
e rect from him. He is hearty, cheerful
old gentleman, bearing more than well tn
burden of his 70 years. He is a pleasan
u companion, and gave all the information
he had to part with seeming pleasure
ID And what might seem incom patible wit
10 his business as mining expert, he is
minister of the gospel, having been
's Baptist preacher for forty-tve years, a.
i the time that he has been engaged i
g. mining. He laughingly told the reporte
IN of The STATESMAN that he has frequent
le worked at the mines all day and preache
u to the men at night.
- WORTH $5OOOO00.
ID Mr.. Fitzgerald states that the presen
,e find of the San Saba mines Is wort
20 S5,OOO,OOO. Machinery to work ther
IA has been ordered and WI
Of be on the grounds next week, read
i. for Immediately starting the mines
id operation. Mr.. Fitzgerald himse
TO arrived in Austin Thursday evening froI
Burnett at $50, and left on the $3.50 trai
g. for San Antonio. The STATESMAN repor
q. err owes his introduction to him, and hi
an ability of giving the foregoing facts,
n the kindness of Mr.. y. E. Delno, of tn
city. Mr.. Delno has himself some 400
ct specimens of different ores gathered viii
n, on a prospecting tour through Burn
IA county. He offered Mr.. Armstrong 81 ,0(
Ms for a tenth interest in the mine, but foun
II. that figures in the millions we're nece'
OF sary.
Or A specimen of the iron depos
,h which contains the gold and silver d,
posits was given the reporter by M
es Fitzgerald, and can be seen at TH
as STATESMAN Office by anyone desiring
do so.
ad Mr.. Fitzgerald was not certain but il
a timated that stock company might
ca formed, in which case the shares would
sy disposed of at not less than par value, al
en- would be subject to no speculative
l. |